Method and apparatus for generating steam



May 8, 1956 s, GELLMAN 2,744,504

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR GENERATING STEAM Filed Jan. 15, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR.

SIDNEY 6 ELL MA 477'0ENEY5 May 8, 1956 s. GELLMAN 2,744,E04

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR GENERATING STEAM Filed Jan. 15, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN V EN TOR.

S/oA/E v GELLMAN BY ATrae/VE'YS United States Patent METHOD AND APPARATUS FORGENERATING STEAM Sidney Gellrn'an, Long Beach, N. Y. Application January 15, 1954,.Serlal No. 404,263

2 Claims. (Cl. 122-435 This invention relates to improvements in method and apparatus for generating steam, the primary object of the invention being to provide for the controlled generation of steam at required pressure levels and in required volumes in such manner that uneconomical over-generation in point of excess pressure and in point of excess volume are reduced or eliminated.

Another important object of the invention is to provide for generation of steam in a manner indicated above wherein fuel requirements are substantially reduced, and loss and dissipation of generated steam and of liquid from which the steam is generated are reduced or eliminated.

A further important object of the invention is to provide apparatus for generating steam from liquid which involves a reservoir for the liquid, and a container substantially smaller than the reservoir and in a closed circuit therewith, primary heat being applied directly only to the container and superheater housing, the container being provided with automatic valving means which provides for controlled replenishment of the liquid content of the container from the reservoir and which provides for retention of steam under pressure in the superheater housing until the pressure of the steam and the heat content of the steam in the housing are at levels substantially higher than those which would otherwise produce discharge thereof from the housing into the circuit, so that steam and/ or liquid discharged from the container at the higher levels has substantially greater utility and efficiency for heating and other purposes.

Other important objects and advantageous features of the invention will be apparent from the following description, wherein, for purposes of illustration only, a specific form of the method of the invention is set forth in detail; and from the accompanying drawings, wherein, for the purposes of illustration only, a specific form of the apparatus for carrying out the method of the invention is set forth in detail.

In the drawings:

Figure l is a perspective view, partly broken away, showing a steam generator according to the present invention;

Figure 2 is a transverse vertical section taken on the line 2-2 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a vertical longitudinal section taken on the line 3--3 of Figure 2; and

Figure 4 is a schematic view showing the said steam generator incorporated in a room heating system.

The method of the present invention contemplates the fact that a steam generator having a relatively large liquid containing tank to which heat is applied directly to produce steam only to a relatively small area of the tank, and'wherein the liquid occupies less than or not substantially more than half of the capacity of the tank, is inefficient and uneconomical because of the large fuel requirement, the relatively low pressure and heat levels of the steam generated thereby, and the heat losses in lce .2 tion is that generation of steam is done more elficiently and economically and steam is provided for utilization at relatively higher levels of pressure and heat content, when there is employed a closed'liquid container of relatively small size and liquid capacity, heat is applied to all or a major part of the area of the container, and valve volved. The theory of the method of the present inven-- 5 to the utilization means.

means are employed which include a cold liquid inlet valve, a steam outlet valve, and optionally a safety valve. The method comprises employing such a small closed container, confining therein the liquid to be turned into steam so that the liquid substantially completely lills the interior of the container, applying heat over a major part or all of the area of the container, so that the liquid in the container and any steam vaporized therefrom will become under relatively high heat content, confining the steam in the container until desired levels of pressure and heat content are attained, and then releasing such steam The method further contemplates automatic admission of cold replacement liquid into the container to replace that discharged in the form of steam, by a partial vacuum resulting from a suflicient drop in pressure in the container which is occasioned by cooling oil following cessation of heat application to the container. The steam produced and discharged by this method being under relatively great pressure and having a relatively high temperature is capable'of more quickly filling a utilization system, such as a room heating systern, since such steam expands to react all parts of the system quickly because of its high pressure, and because of its high temperature, elevates the temperature or" the system more quickly and in continued operation, more efliciently, and economically maintains the system at desired temperature and pressure.

Referring in detail to the drawings, wherein like numerals designate like parts throughout the several views, there is shown a room heating system involving a steam generator according to the present invention and illustrating the method of the invention.

The heating system, as shown in Figure 4 of the drawings, comprises a room heating radiator 5 having an inlet side 6 to which a steam pipe 7 is connected, and an outlet side 8, from which a spent steam and condensed liquid pipe 9 leads, and a steam generator, generally designated lit, to which the pipes Z and 9 are connected.

The illustrated generator ll) comprises a preferably elongated rectangular casing ll having a bottom wall '12, a top wall 13, end walls 14 and 15, and side Walls 16 and 17. The various walls are preferably composed of outer and inner shells 18 and 19, respectively, with the space therebetween filled with suitable insulation A preferably rectangular, vertically elongated cold liquid supply tank or reservoir 21 is mounted high on the exterior of the end wall 15 and is braced by a diagonal bracket 22. An oil or gas burner 23 is mounted on the other casing end wall 14 and has a horizontal burner tube 24 extending through and inwardly beyond the end wall 14.

Upper brackets 25, 25 on the top wall 13 and lower brackets 26, 2s on the bottom wall 12 support, in spaced relation to the interior of the casing 11, a superheater housing 27 which is of vertically flattened cylindr ..al shape in transverse crosssection, as shown in Figure 2 and of oblong or modified elliptical shape in longitudinal section, as shown in Figures 3 and 4. The superheater housing 27 has plain top and bottom walls 23 and 29, respectively, and substantially hemispherical end Walls 30 and 31, respectively,- and the upper brackets 25, 25 are I spherical end walls 33 and 34, respectively, a substantially plain bottom wall 35, and a top wall 36. The top wall 36 slopes inwardly and downwardly from the ends and sides of the combustion chamber 32 and merge into a condensation collector cup 37.

The combustion chamber 32 is supported in place in the superheater housing 27 by vertical tubes 38 and 39, and 40 which are secured to the chamber bottom wall and the superheater bottom wall 29 and which open at their upper ends into the interior of the chamber 32 and at their lower ends into the space 41 within the casing 11 between the combustion chamber 32 and the superheater housing 27, the space 41 being the gas chamber. Pairs of upwardly and laterally divergent bracket members 42 and 43 extend between and are secured to the combustion chamber top wall 36 and the superheater top wall 28.

Supported spacedly within the combustion chamber 32 near to the end wall 31 is the globular liquid container 45. Upper and lower pairs of divergent struts 46, 46 and 47, 47 secured to the top and bottom of the container 45 and to the top and bottom walls 36 and 35 of the chamber 32 hold the container 45 in place.

A steam and gas discharge pipe 48 leads upwardly from the superheater housing 27 at the end thereof remote from the container 45, and between the top wall 13 of the generator casing 11, and is connected, as shown in Figure 4, to the radiator inlet pipe 7. The discharge pipe 48 contains a normally closed gate or flap valve 49.

A gas discharge pipe 50 leads upwardly through the casing top wall 13 from the gas chamber 41, and contains a gas discharge valve 51 which is normally closed. The tubes 38, 39 and and gas discharge valve 51 act in the capacity of bafiles. These tubes are placed at the bottom of the combustion chamber because as combustion continues the newest burned gases rise and force the older and slightly cooler gases downwardly and through the tubes into the space 41 where they circulate around the superheater housing 27 These gases are held in check there before being allowed to enter discharge pipe 50 by valve 51, so that they can impart more of their heat to the superheater. Valve 51 is opened by increased gas pressure produced by continuing combustion.

T he condensed steam and liquid return pipe 9, mentioned hereinabove, enters the top 21' of the cold liquid reservoir or tank 21 and terminates in an upper part of the tank 21, preferably below the level of liquid 52 therein.

From the lower part of the tank 21 a liquid supply pipe 53 leads through the generator casing end wall 15, the

end wall 31 of the superheater housing 27, the end wall A 34 of the combustion chamber 32, and enters the adjacent end wall 54 of the globular liquid container 45. A flap or gate valve 55 is incorporated in the cold liquid supply pipe 53 and is normally positioned in a closed position, as shown in Figure 4, so as to preclude flow of liquid from the tank 21 into the container unless and until a predetermined pressure drop occurs in the container 45. The tank 21 is adapted to be filled by hand or by other suitable means at the infrequent intervals, such as twice a year, at which replenishment of the liquid therein is required.

Rising from the top of the container 45 is a safety valve pipe 59, which extends through the top walls of the combustion chamber 32, superheater housing 27, and generator casing 11, respectively, and incorporated therein above the casing 11, a safety valve 60.

The container 45 is normally substantially or completely full of liquid, as indicated at 61, and is of much smaller liquid capacity than the tank 21.

Rising from a side of the top of the container 45 is the steam discharge pipe 62 whose upper end 63 opens through the sloping top wall 36 of the combustion cham ber 32 into the superheater chamber 64 between the combustion chamber 32 and the superheater housing 27. The

pipe 62 has therein a normally closed pressure operated valve 65.

In operation, liquid 61 being present in the container 45 and substantially filling the same, and the burner 23 being in operation, products of combustion and flame from the burner tube 24 fill the combustion chamber 32 and impinge directly against the container and surround the container on all sides, so that substantially the entire area of the container 45 is heated by contact with the products of combustion and fiame from the burner tube 14.

The superheater housing 27 and the steam in the space 64 between the superheater housing 27 and the combustion chamber 32 become heated, and enhance and maintain the efficiency of the application of heat to the container 45. At the same time, a limited proportion of the products of combustion pass from the combustion chanther 32 into the gas chamber 41, through the tubes 38, 39 and 40, and thereby enhance and maintain the efficiency of the application of heat to the container 45. Further, these arrangements overcome or reduce heat losses otherwise occurring through exposure of the pipes 48, and 53. The products of combustion or gases present in the gas chamber 41 are retained therein by the pressure operated valve 51 and are not released into the stack 66 with which the discharge pipe 50 is connected, unless and until the pressure of the gases exceeds a predetermined maximum.

Any precipitation or condensation occurring in the space between combustion chamber 32 and the superheater housing 27 subsides in the sloping top wall 36 and collects in the cup 37 wherein it is vaporized during operation of the generator 10, and is discharged, along with steam discharged from the container 45, through the pipe 48, upon reaching a suflicient pressure to open the valve 49.

It is arranged that, as the liquid 61 in the container 45 becomes heated it expands and evolves steam, and both the liquid 61 and the steam, being confined by the container 45 and the closed condition of the valve 65, reach relatively high levels of pressure and of temperature, before the steam is permitted, by opening of the valve 65, to discharge through the pipe 62 into the superheater housing 27.

Within the superheater housing 27 the discharged steam circulates around the highly heated combustion chamber 32, additional heat being applied by the hot gases within the space 41 circulating around the superheater housing, whereby the heat and pressure of the steam is maintained and/or enhanced until its pressure reaches a level suiticient to open the valve 49, whereby the steam is delivered to the utilization means, such as the radiator 5, via the pipe 7.

As the steam in the radiator 5 spends its heat and pressure and condensation occurs at least partially, the condensation vapors and liquid return, through the return pipe 9 to the tank 21.

Cold liquid is drawn entirely by suction from the tank 21 through the pipe 53 for replenishment of the liquid 61 in the container 45 depleted by driving off of steam in the manner outlined above by the drop of pressure within the container 45 accompanying opening of the discharge valve 65, the suction producing opening of the valve 55 in the pipe 53. The valve 55 is so arranged that it will be closed before the generation is in full operation by filling up of the container 45 with liquid from the tank 21.

The safety valve 60 is provided for the container 45 in order that the container may be operated at unusually high levels of pressure without danger of bursting.

The method of the invention is particularly exemplified in the automatic operation of the container 45 and its associated tank or reservoir 21, cold liquid supply pipe 53 and valve 55, the steam discharge pipe 62 and its valve 65, the action of the valve 51 and the tubes 38, 39 and 40 in retarding discharge of the gases in contact with the container 45 and superheater housing 27, the container 45 being heated by suitable means, not necessarily the burner 23.

The entire apparatus may be used as a superheater with steam entering the container 45 from an outside source.

What is claimed is:

1. In a steam generator, a closed container, a body of liquid substantially filling said container, a reservoir containing a body of cold liquid, a liquid supply conduit conmeeting the reservoir with said container, heating means for said container, a steam discharge conduit leading from said container, a normally closed pressure operated valve in said steam discharge conduit arranged to open to discharge steam from the container only when the body of liquid within the container has evolved steam and the steam and the body of liquid have reached predetermined high levels of pressure and temperature within the container, said liquid supply conduit having a normally closed valve therein arranged to open only when pressure within said container drops below a predetermined high level so as to permit movement of liquid from the reservoir into said container and replenish the part of the body of liquid in the container reduced by evolution of steam therefrom and discharge of the steam, said heating means comprising a burner having a burner tube, a combustion chamber surrounding said container into which the burner tube discharges, a superheater housing spacedly surrounding said combustion chamber in direct heat exchange relation to said burner tube, said steam discharge pipe opening into said superheater housing, a further steam discharge pipe leading from the interior of said superheater housing, a normally closed valve in said further steam discharge pipe set to open only when the pressure of steam within the superheater housing exceeds the pressure of the steam passing into the superheater housing from said container.

2. In a steam generator, a closed container, a body of liquid substantially filling said container, a reservoir con-" body of liquid within the container has evolved steam and the steam and the body of liquid have reachedpresaid heating means comprising a burner having a burnertube, a combustion chamber surrounding said container into which the burner tube discharges, a superheater housing spacedly surrounding said combustion chamber in direct heat exchange relation to said burner tube, said steam discharge pipe opening into said superheater housing, a further steam discharge pipe leading from the interior of said superheater housing, a normally closed valve in said further steam discharge pipe set to open only when the pressure of steam within the superheater housing exceeds the pressure of the steam passing'into the superheater housing from said container, a generator casing spacedly surroundingsaid superheater housing, the space between the casing and the superheater housing constituting a gas chamber, conduit means leading from said combustion chamber into said gas chamber, and a gas discharge conduit leading from said gas chamber and containing a normally closed gas pressure valve set to open only at a predetermined gas pressure.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

1. IN A STEAM GENERATOR, A CLOSED CONTAINER, A BODY OF LIQUID SUBSTANTIALLY FILLING SAID CONTAINER, A RESERVOIR CONTAINING A BODY OF COLD LIQUID, A LIQUID SUPPLY CONDUIT CONNECTING THE RESERVOIR WITH SAID CONTAINER, HEATING MEANS FOR SAID CONTAINER, A STEAM DISCHARGE CONDUIT LEADING FROM SAID CONTAINER, A NORMALLY CLOSED PRESSURE OPERATED VALVE IN SAID STEAM DISCHARGE CONDUIT ARRANGED TO OPEN TO DISCHARGE STEAM FROM THE CONTAINER ONLY WHEN THE BODY OF LIQUID WITHIN THE CONTAINER HAS EVOLVED STEAM AND THE STEAM AND THE BODY OF LIQUID HAVE REACHED PREDETERMINED HIGH LEVELS OF PRESSURE AND TEMPERATURE WITHIN THE CONTAINER, SAID LIQUID SUPPLY CONDUIT HAVING A NORMALLY CLOSED VALVE THEREIN ARRANGED TO OPEN ONLY WHEN PRESSURE WITHIN SAID CONTAINER DROPS BELOW A PREDETERMINED HIGH LEVEL SO AS TO PERMIT MOVEMENT OF LIQUID FROM THE RESER VOIR INTO SAID CONTAINER AND REPLENISH THE PART OF THE BODY OF LIQUID IN THE CONTAINER REDUCED BY EVOLUTION OF STEAM THEREFROM AND DISCHARGE OF THE STEAM, SAID HEATING MEANS COMPRISING A BURNER HAVING A BURNER TUBE, A COMBUSTION CHAMBER SURROUNDING SAID CONTAINER INTO WHICH THE BURNER TUBE DISCHARGE, A SUPERHEATER HOUSING SPACEDLY SURROUNDING SAID COMBUSTION CHAMBER IN DIRECT HEAT EXCHANGE RELATION TO SAID BURNER TUBE, SAID STEAM DISCHARGE PIPE OPENING INTO SAID SUPERHEATER HOUSING, A FURTHER STEAM DISCHARGE PIPE LEADING FROM THE INTERIOR OF SAID SUPERHEATER HOUSING, A NORMALLY CLOSED VALVE IN SAID FURTHER STEAM DISCHARGE PIPE SET TO OPEN ONLY WHEN THE PRESSURE OF STEAM WITHIN THE SUPERHEATER HOUSING EXCEEDS THE PRESSURE OF THE STEAM PASSING INTO THE SUPERHEATER HOUSING FROM SAID CONTAINER. 